May 10, 2010

THT on Sergio Santos

He’s showing late-inning stuff, though. Santos hasn’t been 0.73 ERA-level good, but he has posted rates of 11.68 K/9 and 3.65 BB/9, with a 45.8 percent ground ball rate and a 2.62 xFIP. It’s only 12.1 innings, but Santos is succeeding with 95-96 MPH heat, mid-80’s breaking stuff and a hard changeup. His swinging strike rate is 14.4 percent (the average for relievers is between 9-10 percent), and his 65 percent contact rate is fourth-lowest among MLB relievers logging at least 10 innings pitched.